Mariano says WHA gets no respect

Former Worcester Mayor and City Councilor Raymond V. Mariano has never been shy about speaking his mind.

Such was the case last Tuesday night when he paid a visit to the City Council chamber.

As the head of the Worcester Housing Authority and someone who lived in public housing when he was young, Mr. Mariano made a passionate pitch to the City Council for federal Community Development Block Grant funding for the WHA's "A Better Life" life-training program.

In doing so, he pulled no punches. He said he does not feel that people living in WHA housing are given the same respect and opportunities as those people living in other neighborhoods throughout the city.

He said while various neighborhood agencies have received millions of dollars in block grant funding from the city over the years for public service programs they provide, the WHA has received nothing for its residents.

"The fact of the matter is that we've been treated like second-class citizens for an awful long time, and our residents have been treated like second-class citizens for an awful long time," Mr. Mariano said. "The needs of the people that we serve are just as great as those who live in Main South, South Worcester, Grafton Hill and Vernon Hill, yet, those neighborhoods get millions of dollars, which they deserve, from this City Council and we don't get a dime."

Mr. Mariano said he feels part of the problem has to do with how the WHA is viewed by folks at City Hall.

"The housing authority has not always felt appreciated by the city, and let me tell you why," he said. "When I became executive director 11 years ago, at least once or twice a year I went to the city manager's office and offered (the WHA's) help at no charge to the city.

"It was help that could have saved the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in wasted administrative costs; money that could have been used to help neighborhoods and people in need," he added. "But each time we talked about programs and projects that the housing authority could do on behalf of the city, under the direction of the city manager, we were politely turned down."

But that perceived snub is just part of the story.

Mr. Mariano said the WHA's Great Brook Valley housing project and Curtis Apartments are the only "neighborhood" in the city that pays for its own police protection and plows its own streets, even though they are public streets.

"There were times when we called Public Works and told them our streets weren't plowed and they didn't even know they were public streets," he said. "These streets weren't even on the list to be done, but we didn't complain. We plowed the streets ourselves because we're partners with the city."

What brought this all about was a decision not to fund the WHA's block grant funding request for its "A Better Life" program. The program is intended to help people get out of public housing and put them on a path to success and eventually into their own homes.

While the program has received funding from the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, the WHA had sought $156,200 in block grant funds to supplement the program with the hiring of case managers.

Mr. Mariano said someone from the city manager's office told him the WHA's application was a "very low priority." The Community Development Advisory Committee did not recommend funding for it, nor did the City Council Public Health and Human Services Committee.

It was one of 11 programs that did not receive block grant funding for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

Mr. Mariano made a last appeal to the City Council for the funding Tuesday night in his old stomping grounds.

"We asked for case managers and other agencies asked for case managers; they were funded and we were not," he said. "That tells me one of two things: first, the people we represent aren't as important to you as people living somewhere else, and I know that's not true.

"Or, another possible explanation is that you believe the WHA is not as efficient or effective as other agencies," he added. "I am proud of the way we have represented the housing authority. But why is it that housing authorities all over this state get millions of dollars from their local government and we don't get a dime?"

While Mr. Mariano had some strong words for those at City Hall, the council held its ground and did not reconsider funding for the WHA program. But some councilors said they respected what Mr. Mariano had to say.

"I'll say this about the former mayor, he takes his job seriously; he always has," said District 2 Councilor Philip P. Palmieri. "To his credit, he's standing up for what he believes, pure and simple. I applaud his effort. The issues he raises are important. The housing authority with him in charge has made a remarkable difference."

"They (WHA) are helping us, but there does not seem to be a hand back," she said. "I'm not criticizing anyone. It's just an issue that we don't have enough money to go around."

Even Councilor-at-Large Konstantina B. Lukes, Mr. Mariano's longtime adversary while they served on the City Council, downplayed the existence of any rift between City Hall and the WHA.

"I don't want to give people the impression that we're in an adversarial relationship with the housing authority," she said. "That's just not the case. We simply don't have the money to fund all the requests we receive (for block grant money) and we have to deal with those agencies with established track records in providing public services. We are not ignoring the housing authority or the good job it does."

Meanwhile, City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. said City Hall is not ignoring the WHA or the needs of the people it serves.

He said the WHA and its residents are a very important part of the local community. He said the WHA has done a lot of innovative and creative things during Mr. Mariano's tenure as its executive director.

But he pointed out that many people living in WHA housing are receiving services from neighborhood agencies that get block grant funding from the city.

He added that the city also has not turned its back on people living in public housing, pointing out that the city has a branch library in Great Brook Valley and its Wheels to Water program in the summer is used by many young people and families living there.

"It's not the full picture to say we don't do anything to support people in public housing," Mr. Augustus said. "They are part of our community and we don't ignore the needs there."

Contact Nick Kotsopoulos at nicholas.kotsopoulos@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @NCKotsopoulos